In a power monitoring system, various installations send electrical data from data collection nodes to a data collection server that is administered according to a known system configuration. However, the system configuration can change over time as new devices are added or existing devices are removed from the system or as the setup of devices are changed in the system, requiring constant server administration. For each new device added or existing device removed, the system configuration must be manually updated at the data collection server to reflect the change. The data collection nodes typically include microprocessor-based electrical power equipment, such as power monitors, lighting control systems, meters, circuit breaker controllers and the like, which accumulate considerable amounts of data concerning the electrical distribution systems to which they are connected, as well as the power equipment itself. Each device has a particular configuration that must be known by the server so that it can receive meaningful data from the device. Because the process is manual, it is prone to human error and time-consuming.
Thus, a need exists for an improved apparatus and method. The present invention is directed to satisfying one or more of these needs and solving other problems.